Findings show total turnover last year stood at $1058.4 million

TAKINGS from accommodation, sales of food, liquor, telephone and other charges totalled $277.2 million last year.

Provisional findings on hotels and tourism accommodation for the last quarter of 2017 showed that total turnover recorded for last year was $1058.4m, which was an increase of 18.5 per cent.

Paid employment in the hotel sector in quarter four of last year increased by 9.4 per cent compared with the last quarter of 2016. Meanwhile statistics also show that Nadi recorded the highest occupancy rate compared with the other areas last year.

The fourth quarter data for the Mamanuca area showed a slight increase to 56.6 per cent from 55.5 per cent in 2016.

In terms of room capacity for 2017 the number of rooms available increased by 0.5 per cent (4592), the number of rooms sold increased by 1.4 per cent (6904), the room occupancy rate increased by 0.5 per cent to 54.8 per cent, total rooms available and rooms sold increased by 4.2 per cent and 5.8 per cent respectively while total room occupancy rate increased by 0.8 percentage points in 2017.

Some of the key points highlighted by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics showed that the room occupancy rate of 55.7 per cent had been the highest for the past five years. According to the bureau the occupancy rates for the past five years has been in the range of 48.0 per cent and 55.7 per cent.

It said room occupancy increased to 54.8 per cent from 54.3 per cent in the previous corresponding quarter in 2016.